Never Dawn
by Writer is Ninja
Summary: Elisabeth Edgerton is hiding from her past and a family that won’t leave her alone. Luckily, she runs into Alice Cullen. Literally so. Who is this girl, really, that Edward can barely read her? Twilight crossover. Series ABANDONED. Up for Adoption.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me. It belongs to Stephanie Meyer and possibly others. Harry Potter does not belong to me. It belongs to J.K. Rowling and others. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Important:** Believe it or not, **Elisabeth Edgerton is not an original character**. Any constructive criticisms on any other topic but POVs will be more than welcome. Oh, and Esme's too nice for me to be able to write her. I'm just not nice enough myself to pull it off.

Summary: Elisabeth Edgerton is hiding from her past and a family that won't leave her alone. Luckily, she runs into Alice Cullen. Literally so. Who is this girl, really, that Edward can only read her mind sometimes?

_Never Dawn_

***

Never Dawn consists of three chapters and is the first story in the Light Trilogy, which is as yet unfinished. It is the first Twilight story I have ever written, and I've only seen the movie (and that once - I _wish_ that I could afford to see it again), so please excuse me if anyone is out of character. Feel free to correct me on what they would do, though; I'll probably change it to match.

**The main mystery is the real identity of the main character, who is not an OC.** **I have made their past AU** though, so if you can guess this early then good for you! If not, keep waiting; it'll come - and yes, there are parts in here to throw you off. You may think you know, but you don't. Let me just say that I made the character very adaptable.

**Prologue **

_I'd never given much thought to how I would die – though I'd had reason enough in the last few __years – but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this._

_He had given me a reason. Forks had made me happy in ways that I can never describe, but he's the one who gave my life purpose. Ironically, he seemed more human than I could ever hope to be. Then she came and I faded back of my own free will. I didn't want to scare her, and I didn't dare to hope. He was her everything as much as he was mine. It was beautiful, and if the brightness of their light hurt my eyes that didn't make it any less so. When I ran into his sister, I had never expected something like this.  
_

_I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he looked pleasantly back at me._

_I was doing this for them. __Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something. _

_I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing death right now. But, terrified as I was, as I always was whenever I thought about it, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it is unreasonable to grieve when it comes to an end. _

_The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward to kill me._

*

"This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."– _Winston Churchill, __Harrow School, __29 October 1941. _

**Chapter One:**

**Starting With Secrets **

Edward, previously amused by the new girl's pure inner thoughts, was more than surprised when he could no longer hear any of them. To him, _everyone_ was broadcasting; _always_. A strong form of meditation, maybe? But the least he'd ever gotten was static, a radio set between two stations and fading in and out almost. He had been cut off at the gates, as it were, only allowed to hear shouting from the castle fortress.

"Edgerton," she answered with a grateful sigh, stepping away from the table. Edward had to smirk, and Alice shared it, (well, a grin) obviously getting _something_ off the girl. "Yes Mum. Yes, I'll pick up the groceries and make dinner. Yeah, it's in the envelope on the counter, and I've got my bills done. No, I don't need you to help balance my check book; math is my best subject!"

She paused to sit at an empty table; one of the ones left open around _their_ table. It was beyond odd that she didn't react to the subconscious predator vibes at all.

"How are you enjoying your classes?" the woman asked.

"Hmm. They're good! I've already taken Biology II and Chemistry, though, so they've agreed to bump me up to Physics."

The woman chuckled. "Yes, I schooled you too well. I know that you've finished with History, too; what are you taking in place of that?"

"First semester Art History, second semester History Through Film and Music."

"Well, enjoy _that_ one. History Through Film I remember sleeping through. I've got to go now; I have a class. See you tonight?"

"Of course."

The phone clicked shut without so much as a by-your-leave, and simultaneously so did her mind. Edward could hear nothing. If it hadn't startled him so much, he would have been relieved for the quiet.

*

She was reading Macbeth. They were discussing A Farewell to Arms. Alice was amused; Jasper had to grasp her hand to keep her from bouncing.

"And what, Ms. Edgerton, is your opinion?"

"A Farewell to Arms is one of Hemmingway's most suicide-inducing novels," she said with a small, genuinely sweet smile, eyes tilted downward. "How his works could be classed with such classics as The Prince and The Scarlet Letter is beyond my reasoning, sir. Fredrick Henry is apathetic and selfish from the beginning and Cathy is weak-willed and in denial. The war doesn't desensitize them; they're already indifferent. In that sense the meaning of the book was completely lost, proving that rumors of Hemmingway's drunkenness were true."

Mr. Zwill's lips twitched, fighting a returning smile.

"Thank you, Ms. Edgerton, for your fascinating insight. Go back to your reading."

She smiled brightly, doing so. Alice stifled a grin and even Jasper's lips turned up a bit; she was absolutely right about the book. And Hemmingway.

"She's going to be my best friend!" Alice announced below human hearing levels.

Jasper wasn't sure if that was a vision or enthusiasm talking.

*

"Edward, you need to feed before Math tomorrow. They'll be switching the new girl to Honors soon, but her scent will send you into a frenzy if you don't hunt first."

"Got it. Suddenly sick?"

"Good enough reason," Alice nodded. "The fish sticks made Lily Hornwall sick today. I can have Carlisle cover for you. Now go. You'll want to feed before school tomorrow, too; she's going to be sitting with us at lunch."

*

She had a light, airy feeling to her that even Rosalie liked. She was… sweet, shy sort of… maybe the word he was looking for was hopeful. The girl radiated hope for the future and a loving nature; a sweet scent – like sunlight. She smelled like sunlight, and it was no wonder that she would have set Edward off. He could smell her wispy scent from halfway across the cafeteria. He'd be able to keep himself in check, but wasn't surprised that her sunrise and campfire with hints of cinnamon would drive Edward mad with thirst. This girl was… an otherworldly joy. She had a strong backbone too, though.

"He will hurt me," Jasper caught the murmur. "Not deliberately, but the fact remains."

The others apparently caught his intense focus on the girl, because they to began listening in. Rosalie gave him a concerned look over the pretty little human, leaning back into Emmett. She looked like she was in a trance.

"The Tower… great ruin, pain to the beloved, struggle, running for Beauty, overreaching myself… possible death; ambiguous even for tarot, but I'll know when the time comes. A betrayal… a falseness… and force, physical force; lack of strength… I will try something that might bring about my death, for another," she continued in a whisper that even they barely heard, "At least such a death would be honorable."

She shook herself and went back to talking to Mike with a bright smile.

"Oh God, I am so, _so _sorry!" the girl exclaimed, looking genuinely distressed. "Here, let me get those. I can't _believe_ what a klutz I am. I'm _so_ sorry."

"No problem!" Alice chirped. She'd been too busy talking to Jasper to pay any attention to where she was walking. "Don't worry about it! I should have been watching where I was going anyway."

They were crouched down picking up her books and papers. People gave them a wide berth and Alice wasn't sure if it was predator vibes or wanting to avoid the mess.

"I'm Alice Cullen, but the way."

The girl gave her a shy smile, whispering, "Elisabeth. Elisabeth Edgerton."

"Hi! It's nice to meet you!"

Her cheeks flushed bright with blood.

"Maybe if I hadn't made you drop your books and tray, it would be."

Alice laughed.

"I told you not to worry about it. Oh, I know we're going to be such _great _friends!"

Alice bounced up, grabbing the girl's hand, exclaiming, "Food!"

"Alice. Who's this?" Rosalie asked flatly. The girl flinched as if hit.

"Rosalie, this is Elisabeth Edgerton. Lizzy, Rosalie Hale, my adoptive sister, her twin Jasper – who's my boyfriend – Emmett Cullen, Rose's boyfriend, and Edward Cullen, who's also our brother."

"Nice to meet you," she smiled timidly, particularly at Rosalie.

Below normal human hearing, Alice whispered, "She's going to be my best friend. I've seen it, Rose, so be nice to her. She's had a… difficult time, lately."

Alice kept Elisabeth talking while Emmett and Edward discretely got up to throw away things from their plates. Edward was trying not to breathe too much. Alice had been right about her blood scent, and he was glad he'd fed. Rosalie had to admit she was cute, for a human, but was still relieved when the bell rang for the end of lunch.

"Hi. Edward Cullen, if you don't remember for all of Alice's babble," he reintroduced himself later that day. Her blood was a maddening thing, and he thought again that his gladness that he'd taken Alice's advice to feed before school started.

"Elisabeth Edgerton," she smiled. They were whispering all through Latin class.

However her blood pounded in his mind, she was too nice to kill. He couldn't be angry with her for her delicious smell; not when she smiled like that.

Slowly, a relationship started up. If Elisabeth noticed anything different about them beyond what the humans normally did, she never said. In fact, if Alice didn't know better she'd say that Lizzy was discretely trying to help them seem more human. She had pointed out that they all had very similar tastes in food, and ate the same thing every day, "like props for a bad movie". She'd been surprised that she'd never seen them at the grocery store, wondering if they usually ate in Port Angeles or bought food elsewhere. It had really surprised Jasper when she'd corrected his tight grip on the table once, telling him "you'll break it if you do that too long". The tone was joking, but Alice though she'd sensed something a bit more in it. Still, this was a normal human girl. She _couldn't_ know.

Seeing her with Edward… it had started out with just friendliness but had warmed up to a real friendship and then something more. They hadn't gone anywhere with it, Liz hadn't even met Esme yet, but you could see the beginnings. Elisabeth smiled, leaning up against her parked motorcycle, arms crossed, waiting for him to come out.

She was a half an hour early, Elisabeth knew, but they would've heard the bike and Alice would pop up to talk shopping and shoes – maybe Jasper too, only less of the shopping and shoes. Oh, she amused herself with the though of that.

Elisabeth was wearing a black leotard over dark washed jeans, with comfortable black sneakers and a dark garnet leather jacket, chestnut-blonde mixed hair up in a bun. That wasn't what interested them, though. Rosalie and Emmett _had _to come over when they saw the motorcycle. They hadn't thought that it was even on the market yet.

"Is that a Yamaha TW200?"

"Great for on-road or off-road," she agreed. "The white/blue just didn't suit, though. Had to have it painted red. That's my color." Rosalie had to concur, and the three talked about engines for a while; mostly Elisabeth and Emmett, actually, while Rose just watched her husband with a small smile. They ended up walking into the kitchen together, lost in their talk on her bike and the modifications she'd done for it.

"Well I wanted something good for the woods – wouldn't be the first time I'd had to veer off the road, and there's a lot of trees in the area – but I also wanted something fast for a bit of street racing," she admitted. "That I bought, but most of my cars and motorcycles I won through races; pink slips, you know?"

"How'd you get into that?" Emmett asked, amused. She was a tiny little thing, but with a lot of guts and a bright disposition that was comforting

"My uncle always thought that mechanics would end up gypping him, or do something to the car so he'd have to go back, so I learned to work an engine really young. As for street racing, one of the neighbors' uncles was a stunt driver for movies. I learned to _hotwire_ a car before I was legally old enough to drive one," she whispered sheepishly.

Emmett shot her an amused look and Rosalie smirked, not looking at them. Rose heard something beneath what she was saying, though; a dark undertone. Admittedly she was curious, but she ignored it for the time being.

"Edward," she smiled.

"Elisabeth."

Seeing her with Edward, how much freer he was, was a miracle. Alice couldn't bring herself to regret it, bring this bright little sun into their life. She couldn't regret the vision that had brought her to them, but lately Elisabeth had been more distant and she couldn't see why. It was like she knew that something was coming.

Then it happened.

She'd called in sick. Alice was worried; she'd been trying to have a vision all day, but it wasn't working. She'd have to go over after school, maybe with soup. Esme would love making soup. Honestly, though, Alice was worried about that it might be more than sickness; that she was blind to Elisabeth when she hadn't been yesterday was frightening. Edward had said that he couldn't read her mind at times, but Alice could _always_ see her. Always. No exceptions.

Elisabeth gasped in pain. _It's getting worse._

And then she was blank to Alice's sight again. Oh yes, Alice worried.

*

"Elisabeth…? Liz…?" Alice called with a worried tone. Jasper stood outside the door waiting for her. He was the only one she'd told. There was a moan of pain from upstairs.

Elisabeth was curled up in a ball on the floor, almost to the stairs. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach, and she was frozen like in rigor mortis; Alice couldn't move her _at all_ she was so tense.

"_Jasper!_" she called out. The girl moaned as they lifted her back into her bed. Jasper was wincing, petting her hair as Alice fluttered around worriedly. After a few minutes Lizzy's body began to relax, thankfully, but she was still in enough pain to have Jasper cringe. It tinged all her emotions; the dominate one being guilt that they'd had to see her like this.

"I – sorry – have –"

"Don't talk," Jasper said, hands shaking. Elisabeth shook her head as much as she was able to, groaning at the throbbing headache. Alice took her hand; she clenched it tightly.

"Disease – unknown – surprise… lived to seventeen. Doctors said…. Seizures, since kid, but not ep…ilepsy. Not… live long – hurt Edward… if knew. Beauty… Bell of the ball, with him. Good for him. Not tell… can't – fade away, like wind…. Pain, oh God la Bella pain. Too pretty, eyes to see – oh God."

"Shhh," Alice hushed gently, stroking the stiff hand. "We won't tell. It's something you need to say on your own. He loves you, though, you know."

"That's why… hurt him. Fade… dream. He – forever. With beauty less hurt, be by side, forget me. He – forever. Me – months, year most – by – how… bad. Can't… enchant… a thing like… away. The Tower…. Gods," she gasped. "Get Jasper out, hurt him feel. Too – much. Be – by – later… only you two."

"Carlisle," Jasper grunted in pain.

"And Doctor…" she gasped. "Pain… go – run. Stub…born… va…"

She fell unconscious, gratefully, as the two talked worriedly over her.

"_Elisabeth…_ Elisabeth, can you hear me?"

She groaned at the painful light, but knew better than to move yet. The light toned down, thankfully. Her head was pounding, throbbing hot against her skull.

"Elisabeth, this is Carlisle Cullen. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Gen… gen-e-tic dis-ease. Recesitive… came in wrong – can't change… doc-_tor_sss could – n't help. Biologist… studied… Genome Project… stunned. Can't – thanks, no help."

"And you have seizures because of it?" Doctor Cullen asked worriedly.

She nodded faintly as the world spun in slow motion.

"Not… full human," she admitted anxiously.

"What are you, then?" he asked softly, kindly. _Maybe I can help…._

"Can't… help. Enchant – t –"

"Enchantress?" Carlisle asked. He was worried. They were rare and virtually unstudied.

She nodded, some strength seeping back.

"Can't – tell – Edward. He – forever without me, but grieve if knew. Find o-_ther_. Be… for him. Silly… vamp. Forever pain never ends. Can't make him… anyway. Too hard on – poor soul. Fix… fade away, not get close – not hurt then…."

"It will hurt him not to know. He loves you, Elisabeth," Carlisle said sympathetically.

She was already falling asleep on him though, shaking her head.

"_Yes, you're aware that Miss Edgerton has an odd genetic disease? Good; I wasn't sure she'd told you. Oh, her mother called in? Well, apparently she had a seizure and couldn't move to reach the phone. We can't move her to the hospital, so I'll be staying here with her until she's better. Yes, thank you. I'll call her mother myself."_

Blackness.

"_Carlisle, what about one of those emergency buttons? To notify us. I see that things will go a lot more smoothly if she has that."_

"_Thank you, Alice. That's a wonderful idea."_

Red fading to smoke – no, evaporating, corrosive, eaten up like acid.

"_How is she?"_

"_Better than she was," he smiled encouragingly. "She'll be better soon."_

"_Good. I've been worried. Are the pain pills helping?"_

The blue spiraled up transparent around them. Her eyes blinked closed.

"_You need to get home to Esme. I'll watch her."_

"_Are you sure?" Carlisle asked, concerned for his boy's health._

"_I'll be fine. She smells pretty, but the scent's too wispy to set me off."_

"_All right…" Alice said reluctantly. _

Clear, sweet clarity.

"Jasper?" she rasped. He helped her into a sitting position, letting the water flow into her mouth little by little. Elisabeth was grateful; she was nauseous already. "Just us?"

"That's right," he said gently. He'd treat her like he would Alice if she could get sick.

"Didn't tell Edward?" she croaked. He gave her more water.

"No, we didn't. I think you should tell him, though." They sat in silence for a bit. "You know, I've met an Enchantress before. Andranessa Delaine."

"Depressing," she coughed.

"I know," Jasper chuckled, "That's why I never guessed. You show all the signs." There was a small pause before Jasper asked, "She said you all have one ability, like us. Dare I ask what yours is?"

"Impressions," she said softly, seriously, looking down at her lap. "It's an advanced form of psychometry. I don't have to be touching anything physical; simply the aura."

"That's how you knew," he stated more than asked.

"I would've figured it out anyway," she shrugged. "Only I could come to the most boring town on earth, purposely, and run into vampires. Granted, I knew about the pack of skin-walkers nearby, but…." He growled at the dog comment, but she didn't take offense. "I – you know the British Wizarding World was at war, recently?"

"Grindelwald, then Voldemort," he nodded.

"Well, I was living there, and when Dumbledore found out about my powers… he was kind enough, but a lot of his people thought it was my "duty" to stop the war before it got started – well, really started. Alastor Moody was about the only one in my corner."

"And he's a paranoid loon," Jasper agreed, having met the man in the 60's.

"Exactly. So when they forgot about me in the post-war celebrations…."

"You took off."

"I took off," she nodded. "I could start a new life here free of magic. So what if there was a nest of vampires and a pack of wolves near at hand? You didn't have the burgundy eyes of those who feed on humans, and you weren't going to call me out anymore than I was you. I mean, Cullen? Everyone knows your names."

Jasper nodded slowly.

"Edward's power is telepathy. We'll need to tell him something if you want to hide the rest – but Elisabeth, you should tell him. At least the wizarding part."

"I'll think about it," she said softly, then shook herself. "Tell him I had a run-in with the Volturi once, and I knew who you were right away. Tell him that I have epilepsy, that I told you while I was out of it. Hell, tell him my period was bad!"

He winced. Even as a vampire, that was too much information.

"I think I'll go with the epilepsy excuse, no offense."

She laughed at him.

"_If I do not smile, I will have given in. Whether it is of true happiness or to spite another, my smile shows the world that my victories are stronger in my mind than my defeats."_– Elisabeth Edgerton, in a letter to a friend

***


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me. It belongs to Stephanie Meyer and possibly others. Harry Potter does not belong to me. It belongs to J.K. Rowling and others. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: Elisabeth Edgerton is hiding from her past and a family that won't leave her alone. Luckily, she runs into Alice Cullen. Literally so.

_Never Dawn_

***

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." _– Winston Churchill, London,_ _10 November 1942._

**Chapter Three:**

**Beginning of Her End**

"She was supposed to come alone," James said as she slowly shut the door to the room with the video tape. His voice echoed, and she didn't turn to look.

"Renee Dwyer took a plane to Tennessee two hours ago. I looked it up on the way."

James chuckled. We'd met before, once. Unlike Bella, my judgment wouldn't be clouded by love, even if it was the reason I was here tonight. James would be too fast for my powers, I knew that, but I could only hope to take him down before he got to Bella and the others. I had fought vampires before. They were our worst, most vicious enemies in the war. I knew what I was doing.

I'd never given much thought to how I would die – though I'd had reason enough in the last few years – but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

He had given me a reason. Forks had made me happy in ways that I can never describe, but he's the one who gave my life purpose. Ironically, he seemed more human than I could ever hope to be. Then she came and I faded back of my own free will. I didn't want to scare her, and I didn't dare to hope. He was her everything as much as he was mine. It was beautiful, and if the brightness of their light hurt my eyes that didn't make it any less so. When I ran into his sister, I had never expected something like this.

I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he looked pleasantly back at me.

I was doing this for them. Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.

I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing death right now. But, terrified as I was, as I always was whenever I thought about it, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it is unreasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.

The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward to kill me.

I ducked the first swing, but hit a pillar on the second. His voice echoed; mirrors all around me made it so I couldn't find him; he'd picked the perfect place to kill us. I let my magic saturate the area invisibly. If I could see where he was going before he could…

It worked for a bit, but whether I knew what he would to do or not I could only go a certain amount past human speed or risk tearing apart my body. He wasn't so limited, and there was no time to let off a mass-killing spell like I could in a big battle with others covering my six for their own sakes. My strength was at maximum human limits, but he was stronger. I, at least, was more flexible and agile. It wouldn't save me forever though; I had to at least trap him for the others, if he was too fast to cut up and set on fire. Well, the fire might be doable, but it was useless without the hacking him to pieces bit, and the last thing I needed now was the fire department barging in.

I skidded and hit something wooden, breaking it, but was more concerned with the piece of wood through my calf and how much it hindered mobility. He was _far_ faster than me now, not that he wasn't already. I got up anyway, though, setting up the magical trap that had come to me. It was a last ditch effort.

He slammed me into a mirror, and a chunk of it speared into my stomach from where I'd spun with the impact. If I were human, I'd be dead from the blood loss, but I luckily wasn't. Bella came in at that point, damn silly girl-child. She was the _real _prey; I was just an appetizer.

With me lying on the ground, barely able to move, James was able to 'play with his food', in a sense. She hit her head; it was bleeding; God I hope not _too_ much. Head wounds bled fast, as I was well aware. She tried to scramble away. He pinned her easily and sunk his fangs into her neck, the fury of the fight and all the blood around them soon driving sense from his mind.

He'd forgotten about _me_.

James was frozen still, encased in white just as the Cullens burst in. Jasper had to be held back immediately, while Edward skidded to his knees over to Bella. Carlisle gave me a concerned look but I waved him off to her. _He_ couldn't live without her. I cast a few rune sets on myself, then crawled over to Bells, ignoring Edward and Carlisle's arguing as I did the same to her.

"I'm making her body produce blood cells as fast as it possibly can, but it's not working; one of you needs to get the venom out. She might need to be turned anyway."

I was worried, but there was nothing more I could do. Jasper, on the other hand….

"Lizzy, don't –!" Esme cried, horrified. But she kept coming closer.

Jasper broke free and went straight to the closest source of the blood; me.

I told you that I wasn't human enough for blood loss to kill me. It just puts me to sleep for a long while. That's why I waved them off when he latched onto my neck. Alice must have known, because they instead hovered a fair distance from Bella, Rosalie daring to go the closest – never having taken human blood, she wasn't as tempted. I let Jasper have his fill and more, until he was sated – Hell, that took until partway home. He didn't even realize what he'd done until a few minutes after that. I did my best to quiet his fears, pushing my calm and lack of regret into those horrified eyes. Jasper thought that he was a monster; that they'd had to turn me because of him. I softly explained.

"Jasper, any human wouldn't have been able to stand up to come that close. If I were a human I'd have been dead and cold before you even showed up; but I'm not human, I'm an Enchantress, and I know what my body can handle. I could lose all the blood within me and never have to worry about dying; I'd be up again late the next day; but you smelt the blood, and there were only two people bleeding in that room."

"You and Bella," he said softly.

"That's right; me and Bella. There was only one human in that room tonight Jasper, and you would've killed yourself if you'd gone for her. So I took her out of the equation and I put myself in your way. I walked _directly_ up to you; _purposely_. I walked up to a vampire, bleeding. Don't blame yourself for me being a reckless fool."

Esme chuckled tiredly; I caught her grateful smile in the mirror.

Despite her wishes, I'm glad Bell wasn't turned; not that way. I couldn't ask that of Edward. I'm glad my spell helped somewhat.

Now only to explain it to them.

"_An Enchantress… __**changes**__ things. They can change a heart to stone, a pebble to a fire, in the most literal of ways. We are the predecessors of Sirens, both more and less than human. We can eat, but have no need of it beyond the taste, getting our energy from the ambient magic around us. Those of us with the gift are few, most lost to civil wars on the scale of vampire wars and bloodier; throughout the years we have adapted to large scale battle, but it makes us weaker to single combat. What is left are Halflings, the Part-Way Children, our blood diluted but on rare occasion showing through; and Wanderers. We never stay in one place long, never congregate. If you are lucky, you will find a teacher to help you when your gifts manifest. The are only two diseases that effect us; both can be stopped in progression if caught in their infancy, meaning in the child's first four years."_

A voice eerily overlapped hers in her mind. Edward could hear it.

"You have one of them."

"Yes. Normally immortal, it's a surprise I made it to sixteen years old."

She was quite calm about this. Edward and Bella were not.

Things calmed down after the prom. Bella had made up with Charlie, Edward and the others realized I was not so breakable and was quite willing to be an emergency blood donor, Esme cooked a lot, and I learned to appreciate my life even more. If this was all I could ever have, I'd never have reason to cry over it. Days were good.

"Beth, can we talk to you…?" Bella asked for herself and Edward.

"Sure."

"_Dear ____,_

_You know how I'm doing probably better than I do, so I need not say it, but I'll tell you about my life anyway. Small town life has been good to me. I kept expecting my past to catch up to me those first few weeks, and I suppose they will someday, but things have been very relaxing…._

_So that's pretty much it for these past two years. I'm sorry about not writing you before, but I needed to get my head on straight – or maybe sideways. Anyway, I'll start sending the letters I write more frequently now, so you won't have to look into a crystal ball or a deck of tarot cards just to find out about me anymore. I don't think this is really the end, you know? Maybe the end of the first chapter of a never ending story. I think I'll have plenty more to write, anyway, if not the time to write it in. Send ______ my love._

_Your Friend… _" – Elisabeth Edgerton, in a letter to a friend

*


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me. It belongs to Stephanie Meyer and possibly others. Harry Potter does not belong to me. It belongs to J.K. Rowling and others. No copyright infringement is intended.

The song is **Elisabeth by Billy Gilman. I do not own it.**

Summary: Elisabeth Edgerton is hiding from her past and a family that won't leave her alone. Luckily, she runs into Alice Cullen. Literally so.

_Never Dawn_

***

"No one is more profoundly sad as one who laughs too much." _- __Jean Paul._

**Chapter Two:**

**Singing to Myself**

The year was over. She had finally met Esme, and the woman loved that there was someone in the house to cook for. Carlisle was as kind as always. Rosalie was less antagonistic now that she knew that Beth was already aware of vampires, Emmett was the big teddy bear she'd never expected, Alice was… well, _Alice_, Jasper was practically _her_ brother, and Edward… well, they didn't advance physically, but _emotionally_… Lizzy was happy. The war was behind her and she was _free_ from expectations… of course she was lighthearted and joyous! Problems or not, she was _free_! Okay, so the high had worn off a bit, but she was smiling more than she ever had. She was becoming confident in her own abilities again, too. Oh, _Impressions _were still an issue sometimes, but Elisabeth felt more comfortable in her own skin than she ever had. She'd even gone up to Portland to race again once – with Rosalie, no less! They had, of course, driven _someone else's _car home. Pink slips were lovely, and when Edward had thought to ask where Rose got the new car from, the two had shared a conspiracional smile and begun singing in their heads – well, Rosalie had, she'd just thrown up her Occlumency shields.

It was… almost like being part of their family. But despite that, there were some moments when she just felt like an outsider. This was one of them.

"Alice, I already know."

She kissed Esme on the cheek and walked out. Alice grimaced.

"_Liz!_"

_She_ was here. It was two months into senior year and _she _was here. Elisabeth had known it was coming, but despite that already felt the hurt. Maybe to him it had just been friendship – after all, they hadn't even fooled around – but it hurt. She'd almost forgotten about it, and then… These things sort of crept up on you, she supposed. That night, she went home to cry, and just waved Jasper in when he came to rest on the tree outside her balcony. She let him hold her, because she knew.

This was the beginning of the end….

"That's the Cullens."

"Victor Borge said that "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." Let's see if he's right," Elisabeth murmured. Rose shot her a concerned look, but Elisabeth didn't look back. She headed, with a smile, to the new girl's table.

"Hi. I'm Elisabeth Edgerton," she smiled.

The others at the table were startled. She was friendly, but mostly hung out with the very reclusive Cullen family, so it was shocking to see her there.

"Bella Swan. Nice to meet you."

Liz cracked a joke, and before the next class was out they were near best friends.

That day, she went home silent. Jasper, feeling her emotions, followed her home, but only got to see a very subdued Elisabeth make herself dinner. Already Edward knew that she was the daughter of Police Chief Charlie Swan; he hadn't even bothered to ask where Elisabeth lived. He didn't know that she'd taken guitar and violin lessons, that she knew ballet (taken up as a child for her aunt, and then for agility during the war). He didn't know that she'd been on a gymnastics team, and the only reason he knew that she painted was because of the scent. She had gotten all the _basic_ information from Bella that Edward could hope to overhear at this stage. It was basic, and still he knew more about her than his… former, she supposed… girlfriend.

Elisabeth tried to smile, but alone – even Jasper left outside tonight – it was weak. She was free from the war, but not her own heart. _But isn't that the way it goes?_

Beth laughed herself to sleep ruefully. She'd take what she could get.

It was cold, but she didn't feel it, even on the road without a jacket.

She hung around with Jasper and Alice more, now. Edward was a bit confused, but mostly he was lost in his obsession with this new girl who blocked him, as he had yet to even _find_ her mind. With her there was a barrier, a door slammed shut in the face. With Bella there was nothing. Edward obsessed. Her blood… it was to the point that he almost killed a whole classroom with his need for it, and Alice hadn't seen it coming; she could see nothing at all for Bella Swan, whereas she could for Elisabeth. Beth smiled the same, but there was a tinge of pain in it. She knew where this was going.

_Emmett took her aside._

"_Tell me, Bethy," he asked, sitting her on his lap._

_She snuggled into his shoulder and sniffled, shaking her head._

"_Esme's too nice to see the problem, but Rose and I – and everyone else – are worried about you, Bethy. Talk to me."_

"_It makes it so much worse because __**I like her**__!" Elisabeth wailed, uncaring that the others had definitely heard her cry. "I __**saw**__ this coming; I __**know**__ that she's his mate; but damn it, Emmett, it __**hurts**__! For his sake I'll never show the pain; I will be a better woman; I will __**treat her as the friend she's become**__. But just because I like her doesn't mean I love him any less. I…I'm tired of smiling, Emmett," she whispered, but she didn't cry at all. "I'm tired of playing make believe like I did my whole childhood. I know I'm just extra when it comes down to it; sweet Lizzy, __**always there**__. I – I don't mind coming in second, Em, but I'd like to be somewhere in the top ten."_

"_He doesn't know that I live alone; he doesn't know that I don't own a television; that I sleep four hours a night at most. He doesn't know that I wake up screaming from seeing the only man who loved me die; he doesn't know that the man had money and I inherited everything; and Emmett he doesn't even __**ask**__. Does he think I pay for my house on my salary from the coffee shop?_

"_I… love him, Emmett, and if I thought she wouldn't run I'd…" she choked out a sob, "I would…" He shushed her whispering an, __**"I know,"**__ but she continued, "It's been over a year and he barely knows me. It's been days with her and… I'm jealous," Beth admitted softly. "I'm jealous and hurt and my heart still pounds when I see him, but even if he loves me back it's nothing compared to her. I – I don't know if I can stay anymore."_

Bella hadn't known her long enough to tell the difference, but Esme was still very concerned. Beth was trying her best to be friends with Bella, and had even succeeded, but whenever she saw Bells around Edward she'd have to turn away. She had always known it wouldn't be forever for them; still….

It only made her try harder to make every bit of life count, and some ghosts were even chased from her eyes in that time. She laughed harder, sung more, and painted a lot; it was all she could do to keep this endless laugh or cry moment from leading to crying on kind, friendly Emmett again.

"_Fuck!"_ she screeched from the impression, speeding up. _If I don't hurry…._

She gunned it, came to a screeching, smoking stop in front of Bella, and threw the girl on the bike in front of her. She hit the gas again, but in a flash she knew she'd have to do something drastic. Protecting Bella as much as she could, Elisabeth _slid_ between the two front wheels of the truck, _slamming_ the bike upright when they came out from under the side. Spinning once, they came to a sudden stop.

She picked Bella up off the bike and put her to the side, hit the kickstand and went directly to Alice's arms. Her hands were shaking; she was as pale as them, not in a pretty way, and probably in shock. "A stunt driver's nightmare, and I did it for _real_."

She'd done some tricks in her time, but this was beyond them. Alice kept students away from her and walked her through the day; Emmett too, through sheer intimidation, and Jasper was a quiet comfort. They were good friends. Edward even took her hand all through first period, making sure she got her Latin right; he even thought to ask if Beth wanted to go home.

That was sweet, but she was shock-y and lived alone.

It was Rosalie, finally, that told the nurse she needed to leave. She had stood and let three balls hit her in gym, not even noticing them. Rose took her hand and led her out of school, "to see my Dad". She could barely sign herself out for the shaking, but just managed with Rosalie holding her hand steady. And then there was Carlisle, and she was driven back to the Cullen's place. Once she had a blanket thrown over her and threw up a bit, Elisabeth felt much better. It took a few blinks to focus on Rose and Esme, though.

"Hi."

Yeah, one Hell of a day.

*

Elisabeth laughed. It was quite a sight, seeing perfect Rosalie play baseball. She let Edward get her frustrated too easily, though. It was going to rain, soon, but Elisabeth liked that. She hoped that Bella didn't mind getting wet either, though.

_James…._

She and Bella had been pushed to the back, but she made sure Bella was behind her especially. If they smelled human, hopefully it would only be her. The wind changed, unfortunately, as the wind was wont to do, and they did smell it.

"_Human…_"

"Not completely, dear," she smirked, stepping in front of Bella and Edward. She opened her arms, and the air _changed_. Blue clouded their vision as she simultaneously tried to confound them; only they could see or feel it. It could only help their case.

Unfortunately, it only worked so well on a tracker.

"Aindriel Sapphire," Victoria said; fairly pleasantly, actually. Then again, Victoria above all others here would know of her viciousness.

"That _is_ my name," she agreed with a mocking bow.

"And the girl?" James hissed.

"Will be turned, soon enough. Do you think she'd be with them otherwise?"

Disaster averted… but only for a moment. Edward ran with Bella as I collapsed to my knees gasping. It had been forever and a day since I'd seen their cruel red eyes. Alice put me in her lap as Rosalie started the car, stroking my hair and rocking me like a baby, like I imagine my mother would have. She explained to the others as she tried to calm my breathing. I was hyperventilating.

"Rosalie, don't," Carlisle cautioned, risking a sympathetic glance towards Elisabeth as he said it, "Edward loves her. That makes her a part of this family."

"She's a human!" Rose exclaimed. I knew what she meant, so didn't take offense.

"Isn't Beth?" Bella asked cautiously.

"No," I said simply, firmly. I took the jacket and hopped into Rosalie's car. "But I smell enough like one. Rose, Emmett, get in."

Later, we got the call from Alice. He'd chased us more than the others, but…

"He's not buying it!"

When we got there, Alice was sketching a place from a vision.

"It's a dance studio."

"My old dance studio," Bella confirmed.

When Bella got her own call, I knew what she would do. I stepped to the laptop and started typing. The nearest ballet studio to Bella's old home in Phoenix was…

"Namesake to Elisabeth  
Her daddy's pride and joy  
Baptized in her mama's tears soon after she was born  
'Cause the doctor said she'd never live  
To see her sweet sixteen  
It's a miracle she beat those odds  
And there's still no promise  
She will see tomorrow  
It makes me wonder  
How life can give someone so much and take so much away"

Well, if this wasn't irony. Sometimes Elisabeth wished she'd never added a small radio to her bike. This was one of them. Still, she sang along with it.

"Oh, Elisabeth  
You're a teacher you're a saint  
And I'm so glad you came to us  
Elisabeth, you make the world a better place  
With the kindness of your smile and your love  
And your beauty will live on

And on Elisabeth"

Tears fell. There was a reason she'd picked this name, but why the damn CD had turned on unexpectedly was beyond her. Divine providence?

"She might not ever marry  
Or hold a baby of her own  
Things we all take for granted  
Are the things she may never know  
But she believes there's always hope  
And that's all she _really_ has  
So she walks through life with passion and  
With dignity and class

And when she cries, she cries in silence  
But never for herself  
She cries for everybody else, for everybody else"

All they did have was hope. She was blocking Edward and trying to block Alice as best she could; hopefully they'd be too busy trying to find Bella to look for her.

"Elisabeth  
You're a teacher you're a saint  
And I'm so glad you came to us  
Elisabeth, you make the world a better place  
With the kindness of your smile and your love  
And your beauty will live on and on"

The road was dark, but I could get there on my bike faster than Bells ever could. I would not let another one die one me; not after the war. I cut into the woods to save time.

"I'm so glad you came to us  
Elisabeth, you make the world a better place  
With the kindness of your smile and your love  
And your beauty will live on and on"

She was too busy laughing to care about her fate. It was bitter in her mouth.

"_Laughing too much is trying to pretend. I did that for a while; false laughter was better than none. It was better than crying. If I could pretend, maybe I could make it real – but I couldn't. I didn't believe…." _– Elisabeth Edgerton, in a letter to a friend

***


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